Favorite Breakfast Recipes!

(Kale and Onion Breakfast Casserole)

 

I'm in the process of getting rid of our morning cereal! Yikes! I have to admit, I LOVE cereal. I love it for breakfast and as a late night snack! My current favorite is Kashi Island Vanilla. I just really want us to get out of the habit of eating it regularly. In this, I'm hoping to save money and eat healthier!

I'm not a morning person. So anything difficult in the morning is not going to fly. Something I can mix pretty quickly and pop in the oven is a good place to start. Or... something I can make the night before is even better! So, I've been mentally making a list of some of our favorite breakfast recipes and I thought I'd share them with you!

Our Favorite Pancake- Yummy, whole wheat buttermilk pancakes! I've added blueberries to these for blueberry pancakes and also Enjoy Life chocolate chips for special breakfasts! I'll also sometimes add a good spoonful of cinnamon for a different taste. I use Coomb's Organic Grade B Maple Syrup to top them! Oh and I don't use 1/3 cup of sucanat, I only use about a tablespoon in the batter. Double the recipe to freeze for later!

Maple Pecan Muffins- my boys love these! We actually had them for breakfast this morning. I use pecan chips because my boys don't like anything with large chunks of nuts! I tried out a new whole wheat flour for the first time with these. It's not as soft as the King Arthur White Wheat but it was still good. I bought it because there was no King Arthur and this new one is non-GMO verified.

Cinnamon Bun Muffins (with coconut flour)- The first time I made these it was my first time using coconut flour. It's different (softer, more cake like), but not bad and a great way to use less wheat (which I think we could all benefit from). Coconut flour is expensive so, one bag (in the freezer) has been used a handful of times over the past several months. I'm really hoping to try out some new flours in the future.

Spiced Pear Muffins- My very own recipe! Super good! I make half with no nuts (or chopped very finely) for the boys. I have several muffin recipes on the blog but didn't want to post them all. You can click the "Recipe" tab at the top to see them!

Sour Cream Waffles- So good! With butter and sour cream.. I mean of course they would be! As the pancakes, these are good to make a double batch for the freezer! I also use 100% whole wheat flour!

Egg in a Hole- Luke doesn't like eggs, unlike Eli who loves scrambled eggs! But when I make this, Luke will eat them! I guess it's the presentation of it all! It's perfect made with homemade bread!

Cinnamon Toast or Cheese Toast- Um, no recipe for these. :) I make a mix of sucanat (1 cup) and cinnamon (4 TBS) and keep it stored in the cabinet for cinnamon toast, which we have maybe twice a month! :) Butter, sugar and cinnamon.. yum!

Crunchy Granola Bars - When I make these I just chop them up and use them as granola! I usually leave out the chocolate chips and add cranberries, sunflower seeds or raisins (or a combination)! This is going to be my replacement for cereal! I love it with milk, the boys love it by itself!

Kale and Onion Breakfast Casserole- So the boys won't touch this but it's still good! Maybe you're lucky and your kids will! It's super good and super easy! The hubs and I love it!

I'd like to try a good baked oatmeal recipe that the boys might actually eat! I love oatmeal but they won't hardly touch it!  I recently made one on that I found on Pinterest (can't find it now!) but they wouldn't eat it. I loved it though! There are SO many to choose from though! I'd also like to try this muffin tin egg recipe (with full fat cheese and maybe some nitrate free bacon since my boys don't eat sausage). Luke might eat eggs in the shape of a muffin!

What are some of your favorite non-cereal breakfast?

Just for some clarity...

I've been wanting to write this post for a while now just to clarify where I am in my 'real food/natural health' journey. I post a lot of information on facebook about food and health. Most of the food articles are about eating clean, real food and attempting to avoid GMO's, pesticides.. you know all the bad stuff. A lot of my health post deal with the dangers of vaccinations and alternative (more natural) treatments of illnesses (cancer being a big one). A lot of the reason I post these is for my own benefit. I like to read them and a lot of times I'll go back and re-read them or pin them on Pinterest so I can use them as a resource later. As far as vaccinating goes, I'm doing a lot of research on not vaccinating because that's the path I'm thinking about with baby Jude. I know you can't believe everything you read but when you start to dig and do your own research it's really amazing what you'll find out! I pray that God will direct me to the truth when I'm researching or learning about something. I know God is sovereign and some things we absolutely can't control. But there are so many things that we can and that is why I enjoy learning about so much of this stuff. I love my family so much and want to do the best I can for them. It's part of my job as a mother and a wife.

So, in saying all of that please know I'm not perfect. We don't eat perfectly. Just ask my family! We still eat fast food occasionally. My kids still get candy (thankfully, less and less). We don't eat all organic or all GMO free. We just can't get it here, nor can we afford it. For goodness sakes, you can look at me and know I have my fair share of "don't" foods. I wish I could give it all up but that's a battle I'm still fighting, I guess. Or maybe it's a battle I feel like I don't have to fight, as long as it's rare and a treat (rare is where my problem is!). I haven't figured that out yet either. It's a journey I'm on and it's a journey I so enjoy seeing others on. God's given us an amazing body and it's our job to take care of it as best as we can. For myself personally, I feel that if I'm given truthful, factual information about something I have a responsibility. What am I going to do with that information? My most recent thing is apples. I use to shrug them off. I can't afford organic (not to mention they are hard to find) apples but my kids love them. So, I knew they were bad as far as pesticides but when I started reading things about how they are one of the top cancer causing foods... well, I just couldn't do it anymore. I can't give them to my kids. So, no more apples for us unless they are organic and cheap! And well, that never happens. Don't worry, there are plenty of fruits and veggies on the "Clean 15" list. Pineapple being #3. We eat a lot of pineapple! As a matter of fact right now we have pineapple, mangoes and kiwi in our fridge all of which are on the clean 15 list. But please know, we're not perfect here either. Sometimes we just need some strawberries or grapes! I can't get those organic around here. Anyway, I'm going off in left field. "Land the plane," as the Hubs would say!

My point: I'm on a journey. I hope you are too! You and your family are worth it. But please don't think less of me if you see me and my family at Chick Fil A. Or if you see me get a slice of pie at the next church function. Let's learn from one another, give grace to one another and do it all for the glory of God!

Half Way!

Yesterday was the official half way mark of my pregnancy! 20 WEEKS! That is of course, if this little guy doesn't go over due! Both of the boys came on (Eli) or before (Luke was 3 days early) their due date. I'm hoping for the same this time!

I was feeling a little fear yesterday thinking about the upcoming birth. I have had my moments here and there so I sat down and read several birth stories for encouragement. Most of them I read from facebook page called "The Skeptical Mother" and were home births. Obviously, I won't be having a home birth (for many reasons) but mainly because it just wouldn't be safe considering my past two births. But these home births are so fascinating! Women are so amazing and it's really only because of God's design! It really did encourage me to read their stories. I can't guarantee how my attempt at an un-medicated, VBA2C is going to go, but I can trust in the One who's lead me in this direction. So, continue to pray for me, for my confidence in God, for my uterus to heal completely (He can do it!) so that I can birth this sweet baby boy.

Speaking of this sweet little boy.... we finally have a name! His name will be Jude. For obvious reasons I'm not going to share his full name. If you're important enough, you know it. We have picked biblical names for all of our boys. We always like to look at the meanings, the person behind the name and of course, whether or not we just like the way it sounds. In my mind I kept going back and forth between Jude and Asa. They are both great names! But the more I prayed and asked God what his name was the more I knew it was Jude. Jude means "praise or thanks"! We have been thanking God for this sweet little person as soon as we found out he was coming! I can't tell you how many people we had praying for us after our miscarriage and I praise God for hearing our prayers!

And lastly, a little update about how I'm feeling. The nausea is gone and has been gone for a month and a half! I am still pretty tired most days. I think that's just life with two active little boys. My iron is good and I'm eating well. My rest could be better. I have myself propped up on pillows most nights because I have lots of hip pain if I try to lay on either side. I have no real cravings... except a Wendy's frosty. And I have yet to have one. I've been wanting one for several weeks now haven't let myself have one. I get heartburn occasionally but mainly when I eat a big meal. I can feel this little guy more and more each day and have even seen him kick from the outside. No one else has seen it because well, you have to be super patient to see it! It won't be long though and it will be very visible from the outside! I'm exercising about 4 days a week, walking about a mile and a half per day. I haven't made it to two miles yet, maybe next week! I'm using my Walk Away the Pounds DVDs and just roll my eyes when the lady says, "Tighten that tummy! Tuck your belly button into your spine!" Um.. yeah, I'll do that! Haha!

So, things are going well and I am blessed. Really, the minor things that go on in life, like unexpected lab bills, broken washing machines and boxes still all over, really are just that.. minor. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

I am blessed.

What a wonderful day. The Lord has been so good to me. Today we found out the gender of our sweet little baby number three! It was a little bit stressful actually getting the sonogram (long story!) but it all worked out and we were able to see what this little person is! So, without further ado... baby number three is.......

 

 

 

A BOY!

 

 

Yes! That will make me a momma of three boys! How fun! I can't tell you how excited I am! And honestly, throughout this pregnancy, I've thought "I would love a little girl." But now that I know, well, I'm just thrilled! He's mine and I am so abundantly blessed. God has been gracious to me and given me (and the Hubs) three little boys to raise. What a responsibility and an honor! This sweet little boy has two big brothers to look up to and an amazing Daddy as well. He has lots to look forward to! I could not be happier! I'm so, so thankful to the Lord for the family that He's chosen to give me. I am going to bed with a grateful heart!

 

 

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Psalm 103:1